尸体标本中皮肤色变的研究

STUDIES ON SKIN PIGMENT IN CADAVER

浸泡于甲醛中的尸体皮肤日久后颜色变深,以往倾向于认为此系血红蛋白中辅基铁卟啉的氧化所致。本实验利用血红蛋白的特征性吸收光谱、还原后的光谱改变及血红素-氯化物结晶的方法证明在皮肤表皮中不存在血红蛋白或血红素。将尸体表皮经酸水解后可分成三个色素部分,即脂溶性色素、水溶性色素及酸不溶的黑色沉淀,此黑色沉淀经红外光谱及碱熔融后层析鉴定证明与头发中的黑色素相同,故而推测尸体皮肤的色变很可能与黑色素有关,并探讨了黑色素形成的机制。

Cadaver preserved in formalin may develop pigmentation in the epidermis astime goes on.What is the nature of the colour substance?Are they degradationproduct of hemoglobin,melanin-like substance or others?In this paper,we reportthe results of observation on the pigmented substance from cadaver skin and charac-terize it by chemical and physical means.The epidermal layer of pigmented skin of cadaver was hydrolyzed by aceticacid,the hydrolysate was extracted with water and organic solvent in steps,thusthree portions were obtained:acidic water soluble,organic solvent soluble and inso-luble black precipitate.The later was identified as melanin by infrared spectrumanalysis,and chromatographic behavior after alkali fuse.The pigmented substancein acidic water and organic solvent are not identified yet.We also tried to find out the degradation products of hemoglobin,but wecouldn’t detect them either by spectrum analysis or by crystallization of haem chlo-ride derivative.Hence,we intend that the deep colour of the cadaver skin after formalintreatment might be closely related to melanin,the mechanism of its formation isdiscussed.